Overview
- Wednesday sources confirmed the death of Raúl Alfaro Alvarado, who led the Policía Nacional del Perú from August 2022 until his retirement in March 2023.
- Alfaro testified that on December 7, 2022 he rejected President Pedro Castillo’s orders to close Congress and instead ordered Castillo’s detention by citing flagrancy and Article 346 of the Penal Code.
- Prosecutors later accused Alfaro of responsibility for deaths during post‑2022 protests and sought 35 years in prison in the homicide case of Denilson Huaraca.
- News records show Alfaro was present in his office on the day of the crisis despite medical leave and that he was summoned by the Fiscalía about protest killings but at times declined to testify.
- With no final judicial resolution reported, Alfaro’s death is likely to reopen public debate over police obedience to civilian leaders, the legal use of flagrancy, and accountability for security operations.